It All Started with a Line
by mischeifxxmanaged
Summary: It started with a line, and ended up a totally different story from the one we know... AU Marauders Era.
1. Chapter 1

"Ugh," groaned Hermione as the blankets were ripped away from her body. There was no possible way it could have been morning yet, it felt as if her head had only just met the pillow. With another groan, the brunette rolled over and dragged the pillow so that it blocked out as much daylight as humanly possible.

"Hermione Jean Granger, get your pasty arse out of bed this instant! You promised me that I could teach you Quidditch this summer," her assailant squealed as the pillow was also ripped away. Her pesky redheaded best friend hadn't let up about training since she caught Hermione out flying in the middle of the night previous school year when she had told Harry and Ron that she was headed toward the library. Despite the brunette's claims that she had only been trying to defeat her paralyzing fear of heights, Ginny had talked her into flying with her every morning for the rest of the year.

Hermione had progressed fairly well, and quickly conquered her foolish fear of heights. Yet, just when she was ready to put the broomstick down forever, she lost a bet with Ginny. Ginny was convinced for some reason that Hermione had a crush on Sirius, and bet Hermione freedom from her flying lessons that she wouldn't openly flirt with him. If she couldn't do it, she had to learn how to play the popular wizarding sport, and try out for the house team next year.

It had taken all of Hermione's Gryffindor courage to walk up to Sirius and use that line that made everyone in the room's jaws hit the floor. Hermione felt her face heating up just thinking about the very conversation that lead to her doom. Hermione thought she was being discreet, catching him alone in the library during a visit to Grimmauld Place, but…

 _ **Hermione entered the library, head held high with a book she'd only halfway read in hand. She figured she could sneak it off the shelf again later, but she obviously needed an excuse to disturb Sirius' quiet time. Attempting to walk at a somewhat normal speed, she controlled her breathing and headed for the bookshelf nearest where the older man was lounging in his favorite armchair near the fireplace.**_

 _**Just as she reached his eyeline, he looked up and flashed her a brilliant grin. He opened his mouth to greet her, but Hermione interrupted before he could manage the first syllable.**_

 _ **"I was under the impression that Harry was the only one who's ever survived an Avada, yet here you are… drop dead gorgeous."**_

 **"** _ **Nice line Mia, but you could have just asked flat out to ride his broomstick," one of the twins laughs as he emerges from the next aisle over, with his brother not too far behind.**_

 _ **"Nice one Gred, personally I would have just told him his smile is like an expelliarmus, simple but disarming," laughs out the other twin.**_

 _ **Hermione flushed red, before spitting out, "Well, I admit that I took a risk on that one, but clearly didn't have time to pull a Wronski Feint before I crashed." She placed the book back on the shelf, then hastily exited the library to a chorus of chuckles without making eye contact with any of the three sets of eyes that trailed after her.**_

It wasn't one of her proudest moments, and she now had to play off her embarrassment every time the twins entered a room. Of course, Ginny didn't know that she ran away in embarrassment before Sirius had the chance to reply himself, but telling her best friend that she couldn't go through with it was much easier than explaining why Fred and George were now using extremely bizarre chat up lines on her every chance they had.

Instead, here she was in one of the twins' old Quidditch jerseys making her way out of the Burrow to the makeshift pitch to her certain doom. As she rushed out of the back door, it just so happened one the very reasons that she was in this predicament decided it was a great time to knock her right off her feet.

"Hey Granger, my last name looks good on you," winked Fred as he disentangled himself from her. The plus side to the increased social contact with the boys was that she could now tell them apart.

"Shame it won't be there for long," she bites back as she waves her wand at the jersey, changing what had previously said Weasley to Granger.

"I think you spelled that wrong, love," replies George, waving his own wand so the jersey said Black instead, much to the amusement of his twin that had originally maintained his upright position was now in danger of suffocating from trying to old in his laughter.

"Honestly," she laughs, ripping off the jersey and throwing it at them, "it's easier to fly in a sports bra anyways." She turns with her head held high only to walk full force into the third and final object of her embarrassment.

"Good morning, love."


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning," Hermione squeaked, sidestepping around the source of her embarrassment. "Lovely day, isn't it? Has Ginny passed by? She didn't even think to wake me up and I'm supposed to meet her at the pitch." She hurried along the path, not pausing to wait for an answer, nor noticing the following eyes of the three men standing behind her.

"She isn't our little 'Mione anymore," George commented, pushing his way through the door.

"If given the chance I know that I would have taken her up on any line she tried to use," Fred said to Sirius as he turned to follow his twin.

Sirius continued to smirk after her retreating form. It seemed his mind wanted to play tricks on him lately, because she had started to look more and more like her than ever before. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to keep his thoughts from drifting back to a time when things were simpler and he had the girl.

"She's not Mia," he whispered to himself, turning to follow the two redheads. "She's 'Mione."

Over the past few weeks, Hermione had managed to pick up on the basics of Quidditch well enough to play in an official Weasley House Tournament. Comprised of the horde of Weasleys and any honorary Weasleys that wished to play, three teams fought for a muggle trophy that Arthur had inscribed to read the honor. The winning team of the annual tournament had the right to first pick of Molly's deserts at all holiday family functions. Teams were decided at breakfast, where Molly would charm the bottom of biscuits either red or gold. Each team had a one hour strategy meeting after breakfast, where they would choose a team leader and discuss different plays they wanted to use.

Hermione was currently on the gold team with Percy, Bill, Charlie, Fred, Ginny, and Remus, playing against George, Harry, Sirius, Ron, Angelina, Tonks, and Arthur.

"Look out, 'Mione!"

"Thanks, Ron!" Hermione swerved to avoid the bludger that George had just aimed at her, then huffed in annoyance as she dropped the quaffle she had just regained control of from Tonks into Angelina's waiting hands in the process. Ginny had warned her about that maneuver, why hadn't she been expecting it? Since George and Angelina had begun dating, they had this weird synchronization when it came to just about anything. It's a wonder how Fred wasn't jealous of it.

"Focus," Hermione whispered to herself. This wasn't the time to get distracted. She was still new to this game, and it was going to take a lot of real time practice before she tried out for the house team. To top it off, Harry had insisted that Hermione use his old Firebolt to practice on from now on, which happened to handle much more easily than the Cleansweep that she had been practicing on. Not taking into account how much less effort it would take to perform simple maneuvers was throwing off her game, quite literally.

"Look out for your own team, Ron," Harry warned his best friend. Hermione threw a smirk and a shrug towards her messy-haired friend, then dashed off in pursuit of Angelina and Tonks at the other side of the makeshift pitch. She never thought she'd make a good chaser, yet here she was, up above the trees chasing after the friends she had come to see as her family.

Two hours into the game, the score was currently 210 to 110, and of course Harry's team had the edge with so many of the Gryffindor's house team alumni at his disposal. Charlie managed to gain back the quaffle and passed it to Bill, who was effectively blocked at the hoops by Sirius, who flashed a dazzling smile towards Hermione, who flicked her wrist as if to say _no big deal_. Spreading out to surround their target, Hermione, Bill and Charlie dashed after Tonks, who recovered the ball and had pushed around Remus at the post for a solid goal.

Suddenly, Ginny took a dive, followed quickly by Harry. Both teams' attentions turned to see who would win the game, and Hermione used the opportunity of a momentarily distracted Angelina to seize the Quaffle. She flew straight up, causing Angelina to pause again before making a quick turn for another goal just seconds before Ginny whooped in victory. Hermione's first game ended with a win and a score of 270-220.

The wild-haired brunette angled the firebolt towards the ground to land, crashing right into the small crowd of her celebrating teammates below. She was great at flying so far, landing was not her strong suit. Fred caught the escaping broom as Sirius caught the witch just before she hit the ground.

"Thanks Sirius, I almost buried myself there," she giggled, jumping up to hug each of her teammates. Sirius barked out a laugh, making eye contact with Remus who stood off to the side with a warning look on his face. She joined in with her teammates, joining in with the rendition of "Weasley is our Queen" that Harry had started up.

Sirius began to make his way off the field, passing by only remaining best friend with nothing but the whisper of a single word as an acknowledgement of his reaction…

 **"Soon."**


	3. Chapter 3

A soft wind caressed Hermione's face as she turned the page of her book. She paused to gaze up towards the sky and let out a deep breath, taking in both the quiet rush of the river that ran along the edge of the Weasley's property and the sunshine that beamed down from above. Sixth year started in just a few weeks, and she was more than ready to get back to the halls that she had called home for what seemed like a lifetime now. She turned her attention back to her book, begging it to distract her, and quickly got lost in the swirl of words, not noticing the figure creeping up behind her.

She let out a shriek as she was hoisted into the air by a strong pair of arms and carried off toward the rushing water. Just as they reached the river bank she screeched out again.

"SIRIUS BLACK IF YOU GET MY BOOK WET IT WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU EVER DO!"

Barking out a laugh he plucked the book from her hands, ignoring her sharp intake of breath as he tossed it over his shoulder onto the riverbank. Hermione screeched again as the book sank out of view into the mud, and twisted herself over his shoulder while the former Black heir plunged into the water without a second thought. Shivering at the slight chill, Hermione laughed as she fought against her clothes that had begun to weigh her down and the slight current. She tried to swim back to the bank and her precious reading material, but Sirius wasn't having it. He quickly gathered her up, muttered a wandless spell that transfigured her clothing into a modest one piece swimsuit, and then tossed her in again with another laugh.

She laughed, pushing back the mop of head on her head, making another attempt to make a break for the shore, only to be met with red and black topped blobs charging in and pushing her back. Soon enough the ever-present pile of Weasley children had joined the pair in the water, laughing all the way as Mrs. Weasley yelled out the back door at them to not drag their dripping clothes through the house when they were quite finished being delinquents.

A while later, Hermione laughed along with Ginny after the two had found a spot in the shallows to relax, cheering on Ron and Harry while they sat on top of Fred and George's shoulders attempting to knock each other over while Sirius dived down every now and then to pull at one of the twins' legs.

"Quite the adolescent, isn't he," laughed out Remus as he joined the girls in the shallows. "We actually were going to take you lot up to Diagon Alley to get some of your school things today, but Sirius decided once we arrived that he couldn't pass up a day in the river. I didn't know that he was going to take you diving with him, Hermione."

"I'm almost glad he did. That book wasn't terribly interesting anyways," she laughed as she turned to Ginny. "Please don't make me read anything about how to charm wizards again, I couldn't focus on it for more than five minutes. I'm also not removing it from the mud, because as much as I hate to disrespect the written word, that's where it belongs now."

Remus choked out a laugh that caught the attention of the circus in the water, who had forgotten all about the group on the bank. They beckoned the girls into the water again as Remus dragged Sirius back towards the house to meet with Molly about rearranging their plans to gather the children's school supplies.

Later in the afternoon, the group was joined by Percy and Arthur as they arrived home from work. The remaining Marauders also returned to the riverbank to chat with Molly, yet seemed to not be speaking directly to each other at the moment. The boys fought over turns on the rope swing that Arthur transfigured to hang from the tree Hermione had been sitting against earlier in the day, while collaborating to get the girls to take a turn after each boy had gone.

The group emerged from the water early in the evening to an outdoor dinner spread that Mrs. Weasley had set up, while she playfully praised Merlin about her house not getting soaked through the infectious smile on her face. Conversation flowed easily over shared roast chicken and a multitude of vegetables out for the taking.

Dinner turned to desert as Mr. Weasley set up a campfire and Mrs. Weasley cleaned up after dinner, with Hermione's insistence to help of course. At a compromise, Hermione took the dishes inside to the sink to be washed where Mrs. Weasley would spell them to clean themselves. On her way out the back door to join her friends around the fire, she caught the end of a whispered argument coming from the dining area through the kitchen door.

"…but she's not her. It's almost time Padfoot, you can wait just a while longer. There's no point in telling her beforehand and changing what was meant to happen, why don't you see that?"

"Did you even listen to her? It's a loop! What I do or say now won't make any difference. You owe me this. You owe us this. I thought she was dead, Moony! Then out of nowhere…"

"Well, she wasn't!" Remus interrupted. "Just wait or you will mess something up, and she might not come back at all."

Hermione heard footsteps on the other side of the door, and dashed as quickly as she could through the pantry door next to her, grabbing the bag of marshmallows on the shelf in front of her.

"Miss Granger, can I help you find anything," she heard Remus inquire from behind her.

"Actually, have you seen where Mrs. Weasley keeps the chocolate and graham crackers," she asked over her shoulder.

"The crackers are right in front of you," he smiled, then turned to the cabinet over the stove and handed her the chocolate as she grabbed the required ingredient. Then the pair walked together to the group huddled in the back yard, looking for sticks along the path as Hermione's mind whirled a mile a minute. She couldn't think of anyone around that hadn't been until recently. Furthermore, why would Remus lie to Sirius about someone dying? And why did they have to wait to tell this person what Sirius wanted to. She smiled as Ron came running up to her.

"Marshmallows, brilliant!"

She laughed with Harry as the redhead stuffed a handful in his mouth, then the muggle-raised pair proceeded to teach the wizarding children what exactly a s'more was.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione woke up the next morning to a strange sensation, like she couldn't quite catch her balance. She cracked her eyes open just enough to see the ceiling moving. Closing her eyes again, she went to roll over, and then threw her eyes open again. Yes, she was indeed on the move, yet her she wasn't responsible for her movement. Her arms flew out to the sides, nails digging into the wooden floor as the brunette realizes that she is being dragged on top of her blanket.

"Ginevra Molly WeaSLEY," she shrieks as she tries to sit up, squeaking out the last part as the redhead gives one last pull on the blanket, forcing her head to bounce off the floor.

"Finally, you're up!" the other girl grins, dropping the part of the blanket she had wrapped around her hands. "Mum's had breakfast ready for ages and everyone else is nearly ready to head out to Diagon Alley. You are the heaviest sleeper I've ever met, by the way." Ginny shakes her head and moves out of Hermione's line of sight.

"I took a sleeping potion, we're still on vacation the last time I checked. You could have shaken me or something." Hermione groans, sitting up and shaking her head. She looked around to see that they were on the bottom floor. "Wait, did you really just drag me down two flights of stairs?"

Hermione looked up just as the breakfast table behind her bursts into uncontrollable laughter.

"No, Harry and Ron took turns carrying you down the stairs, but I did drag you across the landings. They said you'd probably murder me if I gave you a concussion, and then you would have an excuse or two not to try out for the team when school starts back up. Plus, you're getting a broom today so get excited," Ginny replies, taking a piece of toast from Harry's plate and sitting down in her chair with a grin.

Ginny was more excited about the upcoming events today than she was. In fact, all Hermione was really excited about was her morning tea. She reached down to smooth her shirt to gain some of her pride back, and realized that she was still clad only in shorts and one of Harry's old Quidditch jerseys, she squeaked and dashed back up the stairs. The nerve of that girl! With the help of her wand, a clean set of shorts, and a tank top, Hermione was ready for the day a few minutes later. She grabbed her wallet and dashed back down the stairs to grab a slice of toast before anyone else came up with any bright ideas for a morning prank. Harry handed her the cup of tea he was preparing just as Sirius bounded through the door, with Remus and Tonks in tow.

The gaggle of children landed in the Alley just shy of ten in the morning and split up into their usual groups. Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Harry headed off with Remus and Sirius towards the Quidditch shop, with Sirius bouncing on his toes along the path. Hermione was dragged along with her friends that were as excited as first years. Remus barely called the group to a halt in time to remind them that they told Molly that they would grab their books before getting lost in the Quidditch shop.

Hermione grinned, her mood visibly improving as she freed herself from Ginny and Harry's death grip on her arms and dashed into the bookstore. Groaning, Harry, Ginny, and Ron steered themselves quickly into the store across the street and split up to grab their books, with Sirius bouncing even higher (if it was even possible) after the teens. Remus smirked, and followed the group into the bookstore, pausing to take a deep breath in beside Hermione, then casting a knowing glance her way.

"I'll hold them off as long as I can," he muttered to her, pointing to a secluded row of books where none of the children had headed. Nodding her head in thanks, Hermione began to browse the stacks. A few moments later, a pair of arms reached over her head from behind. She turned halfway around and found herself face to face with Sirius. He took half a step back, a book in his hand and a smirk on his face.

"A long time ago, a girl I once knew recommended this one to me," he explained, handing the book over to her. "She was an absolutely brilliant witch, had to know a little bit of something about everything."

Hermione glanced at the title, _About Time_. With an inward smile, thinking back to the when she had a time turner of her own, she cracked open the thick tome, and then she was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Everything was so dark, and she couldn't seem to open her eyes. Her head pounded, and she felt like someone was sitting on her chest. She strained to make out the sounds around her, but she couldn't quite tell who was there. She moved her hand, and could make out the stiff bedsheets below her. Sounds began to come back to her in waves. At first she could only understand a few words. Bookstore. Flash. Shattered. Collapsed. She certainly felt shattered. She inhaled deeply, slowly, and tried to open her eyes again.

"We have absolutely no idea where she came from! We've never seen her before. Odd, because she looks about our age. I was searching through the stacks for the new Transfiguration book while Siri here was trying to help, not successfully by the way, and then she was just there, on top of me. That's all I know," a voice tried to explain to an audience of stifled laughter.

"Not every day a bird jumps on your lap, is it pup," another voice barked out. Hermione cracked open her eyes and blinked until the hospital room came into focus. She could make out the shapes of the few people standing around her bed.

"She's awake," came a deeper voice. "James, fetch Healer Jacobs." Hermione tried to sit up as her eyes continued their attempt to focus and was hit with a wave of nausea.

"Oh," she groaned.

"Oh no dear, you're not quite ready for that. Please sit back," a pair of cool hands felt her forehead, and then she felt a warm rush all over her body. "Everyone out, please, I need to run some diagnostics. Can you tell me your name, dear?"

"Mia," croaked out Hermione as the figures around her disappeared. "Where am I?"

"Here, have a sip of water." Hermione took the small cup from the healer's hands and took a sip, then waited until a satisfied sigh left the young man's lips. "Do you have a last name, Mia?"

"I don't know," she frowned. She was having trouble remembering how she got to be here. Her eyes finally focused enough for her to glance around the room. She couldn't find a clock, but managed to find a calendar on the wall closest to the door. All of the days were crossed off up until July 18. At least she hadn't been here that long, only a day. She was going to kill Sirius for getting her stuck in this bed. She glanced away, partially angered, but then quickly looked back at the calendar as something caught her eye. She jumped out of the bed and snatched the calendar off the wall, despite the young man's screech of protest. In the corner… there it was… July 18, **1976.**

"I need to see Albus Dumbledore. Immediately," she deadpanned. "I will not say anything else until I see Dumbledore." After arguing with her for a brief moment, trying to gain more information about why it was necessary to fetch the headmaster, the healer left the room in a huff. Hermione couldn't bring herself to care about her rudeness as the memories came flooding back to her. The bookstore. The book. The shattered time turner. Collapsing onto the first person that looked familiar to her… Remus, or so she thought. He looked a bit young to be Remus. Her head pounded, and she sat down heavily in the chair near where the calendar had been posted.

"Oh, this can't be good," she groaned, standing up again as the door opened to her room.

"Hi there, I'm Mr. Right, someone said you were looking for me? What's your name, love?"

Hermione stood there in shock, staring directly into the face of the very reason she was here. Sirius grinned, obviously proud that he had stunned her to silence within the first few minutes of meeting her. She huffed, not knowing quite what to say to the prat. He laughed as the door opened wider to reveal a man that vaguely resembled the Professor Dumbledore that she knew.

"Mr. Black, if we could have a just a moment," suggested the Professor. The teen nodded, threw Hermione a smirk, and existed the room to rejoin his friends waiting outside.

"This was found on you when you arrived here at St. Mungo's, Miss…"

"Mia. My name is Mia, and I don't know how much I can actually tell you, sir," Hermione started, taking the book and the broken time turner from the man's outstretched hands.

"I wouldn't dream of it Miss. We will need to meet prior to the start of term, as this is not the time nor the place to speak of such endeavors," he smiled, nodding towards the device responsible for her predicament. "I imagine you will need arrangements if you are to keep from drawing attention to yourself for the time being."

"Sir, I haven't finished my schooling. Would I be able to continue until I find a way home?"

"If that is what you wish. What year…"

"I was going into my sixth year, sir."

"Very well. I will add you to the roster, if you could owl me the courses you were taking. As for housing until school begins, Mr. and Mrs. Potter have agreed to allow you to use a spare room. The Potters are old family friends, and young Mr. Potter and his friends found you at the bookstore. I have come to understand that they intend to befriend my goddaughter, who just happened to have barely missed the apparition point," Dumbledore trailed off with a twinkle in his eye, and Hermione caught his meaning as she realized the entry of who must be Mr. and Mrs. Potter, because a boy who looked awfully like her best friend, flanked by younger versions of two men she had come to know snuck in after them.

"Fleamont, Euphemia, this is my goddaughter, Mia. Thank you for allowing her to stay with you while I finish my last-minute travelling before school begins. It was quite the affair to get her transfer approved through the board and I don't believe that taking her out of the country now would bode well with some of the members."

"No trouble at all, Albus," grinned Fleamont. "She is more than welcome in our home."

"Well, my dear," Dumbledore smiled, "lets clear your health status so that you can be on your way." He grinned as the young healer huffed into the room again, pausing to throw a fake smile towards the headmaster as he started to throw spells at Hermione again.


	6. Chapter 6

After Healer Jacobs was satisfied, he handed over Hermione's release paperwork to Dumbledore, with specific instructions to return to see him immediately if she wasn't feeling well. Personally, Hermione liked Madame Pomfrey's way of healing much better. She didn't appreciate feeling poked and prodded, as she was under the impression that muggle hospitals were the only place that happened. Also, Madam Pomfrey made it a habit of discussing health matters directly with the patient, rather than acting like they weren't in the room at all.

With release paperwork in hand, the large group made their way towards the exit of the building and down the crowded street to the apparition point.

"Well, I'll be off to complete my end of break duties," Dumbledore began. "I still have the start of year speech to prepare, of course. I look forward to seeing you all at the start of term. Don't forget to owl me later this week, Mia." With that, the Professor popped away.

"Well then, let's get back to the manor and have some dinner," Mrs. Potter said.

"If you'll take my arm, Mia, I will guide you to the apparition point nearest Potter Manor," smiled Mr. Potter.

"Of course," Mia grinned. "Thank you, sir." She took his right arm, as Remus took his left. Sirius and James took the arms of Euphemia, and then Hermione felt herself being squeezed through a tube. She lost her balance when the sensation came to an abrupt end, much to the amusement of the boys around her.

Remus quickly helped her to her feet, and Mr. Potter handed her a slip of paper. She smiled softly at the memory of Grimmauld Place that had swum to the front of her mind. She read the address, and quickly let go as the paper burst into flames. Looking up, the manor seemed to materialize in front of her. The manor lived up to its name, and that was an understatement. The grounds were well kept, covered in green fields to the right of the house. To the left stood a forest. She grinned as another memory assaulted her mind.

 _ **"James' parents knew of my condition, and let me roam the grounds while I was transformed. They were the only ones to ever know that Sirius and James were animagi as well, besides Lily and her best friend of course. They found out purely by accident when they stormed into James' room while they were messing around in their forms the summer after fifth year. They were making far too much noise for even teenage boys to get away with. I remember James' father make them repair all of the furniture by hand, without magic. It was quite a sight to see Sirius try to use a hammer.**_

 _ **The Potters were the best people I ever have had the pleasure of knowing. They had a thing for adopting strays, you see, and were the closest thing I ever had to a whole family."**_

She missed the wise Remus of her time dearly. He had become quite a close friend to her, and most importantly Harry. She felt a pang in her chest as she thought about her best friend. She would give anything to have him here with her, instead of her even, to meet the parents he never had the chance to know. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, she refocused on the tour of the manor that Mrs. Potter was giving her.

Everything about the manor was so light and cheerful, and she already felt right at home. She looked around to see that the boys had disappeared somewhere along the line, and flushed at the knowing glance of Mrs. Potter.

"It's a lot to take in the first time," she laughed, pushing open the set of doors they had arrived at. "This is your suite, for as long as you'll have it. You're welcome to come visit us during the holidays as well. I know Albus makes a habit of traveling more than necessary, and my husband and I have always believed the more the merrier. I know the boys would love to have you around as well. I'll leave you to get settled in." The woman gestured to the doors in front of them, and turned back down the hall.

Hermione stepped through the double doors to a grand room, not unlike the Gryffindor common room with the exception of the queen-sized bed placed along the center of the back wall. To the right was a sitting area along with a fireplace and a bookcase. To the left were two open doors, one leading to a walk-in closet and the other leading to the washroom, complete with both a shower and bath. It was grander than any room she had ever seen. Returning to the main room, she noticed a trunk and two suitcases at the foot of her bed, with a note placed on top.

 _Dearest Mia,_

 _I had your things brought over from the castle by some of the elves. I've also packed a sack of coins in your trunk, if you find need of them. Your wand is located in the front pocket of the smaller suitcase, I retrieved it from the bookstore for you. Enjoy the rest of your holiday._

 _Your godfather,_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

The note was vague enough, yet provided her with all of the information she needed. That man really thought of everything. She opened the smaller of the suitcases, taking care to remove her wand and place it on the table to the right of her bed, then got to work going through and sorting away the new seventies style wardrobe, wondering all the while how he knew her sizes. Then it suddenly dawned on her that he had her medical paperwork. It wouldn't be terribly difficult to find out at least a close estimate from the healer, and if that failed they would be at least close enough to apply a mending charm. A pop from behind her startled her out of her thoughts.

"Good evening, young Miss. Mammy is here to show young Miss to the dining room." A fully clothed house elf! If she had any reason to question her blossoming like of the Potter family, she had absolutely no reason to any more. She wondered lightly if they would take interest in SPEW.

"Of course, Mammy. Please call me Mia. If you're ready, please lead the way," Hermione smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione followed the babbling house elf out of the door and to her right, pulling her hair into a ponytail with the elastic on her wrist. Glancing at a vaguely familiar vase, she let her thoughts drift to how the Potter matriarch had managed to decorate her home extravagantly, yet it still seemed quaint. Mia smiled as thoughts of the Weasley household assaulted her mind while she glanced around the hallway leading to the grand staircase. Just as the small framed brunette was about to take her first step down the stairs, something grabbed her waist from behind and pulled her backward. She twisted to free herself, not even realizing she had grabbed her wand until she heard the yelp following the flash of red.

"Sirius!" She nearly tripped over her own feet in her haste to help up the quite literally floored mop of hair that now lay a few feet away from her. She reached out to smooth the hair from the shaking boy's face, realizing he was shaking with laughter, not in pain as she had originally expected. The remaining two marauders caught her attention out of the corner of her eye as they fell through the doorway Sirius must have just exited himself, red-faced and gasping for air.

"Bad dog," gasped James through his laughter, stumbling over to help Mia gather his best friend off the floor. Remus was still holding the doorway as he struggled to regain his composure when Sirius reached up, seemingly to accept James' offer of help, only to pull him down to the floor with him. At this point Remus flopped to the ground and joined in the mass of tangled limbs, and the three best friends then proceeded to try and convince Mia that somehow they had forgotten how to walk.

"My legs, my legs," groaned Remus.

"What did you do to us, Mia," laughed James, running a hand through the untamable mess atop his head. Sirius picked up his left leg with his hands, then let it drop to the ground again, then did the same with his right.

"Honestly, it was only a s _tupefy_ ," Mia giggled as she turned again to the stairs, not noticing that James had reached out and latched onto her leg as she had been looking at Sirius. With a little help from Remus, the two successfully added the girl into the growing mass on the floor.

"Oomf!"

"See, now they've got Mia," laughed out Sirius as he laid himself across her legs, quickly joined by his two best friends.

"Have the brucksprouts gotten in from the garden again?" The teens looked up to see a chuckling Mr. Potter looking down at them. "Here, let me help before your mother sends Mammy on a mission."

As she took in the boy's mutual looks of horror, Mr. Potter waved his wand and the stairs turned into a slide. She didn't think she'd ever get the image of Fleamont Potter sliding down head first, laughing like a five-year-old who had found a giant ball pit. Mia laughed as the boys suddenly regained their ability to move their legs and fought their way down the slide, giggling all the way to the main floor of the manor.

Shrugging, she slid down after them, laughing as another memory made its way to the front of her mind.

 _ **"Sirius Black! Don't you dare turn my home into a mere funhouse! Do not encourage him either, Remus! Arthur has done so enough in the last two weeks alone!"**_

 _ **"Dearest Mollywobbles, please forgive me, as my legs seemed to have failed me for a moment and it seemed the easiest way to descend to dinner. It's happened before, I tell you. Just ask Remmy."**_

 _ **"That it has, Molly. Those bucksprouts are a nightmare once they've made their way in from the garden. The Potter's always had a nasty time fully getting rid of them."**_

 _ **"Before I put your gorgeous staircase to rights, would you like a turn?"**_

As she approached the bottom, she stretched herself out sideways across the width of the slide, knocking the teens gathered at the bottom back into a giggling tangle of limbs. After untangling themselves, the boys raced each other into the dining room with Mia tagging along not far behind at a tad slower pace.

Once she rounded the corner into the dining room, she smiled as she noticed Sirius holding out a chair for her, which she slunk into as Remus took the chair next to her. She caught a pout on the Black heir's face as he took a seat on the other side of the table. Mammy snapped her fingers, causing premade plates to appear in front of them.

"Mammy makes the best roast chicken you'll ever have," smiled Mrs. Potter, shaking her head at the boys' antics.

"I like her potatoes better," chimed in Mr. Potter as he reached over without actually looking up to grab the glass of water his son was hovering over his best friend's head. "No magic at the table boys, mum's rules."

"It's not like the Ministry will find out," pleaded James. "They can't sense underage magic in pureblood households."

"Under this roof, I am the Ministry."

"Of course, mum," all the boys replied as they began to eat. Mia smiled and joined them.


	8. Chapter 8

Mia rolled over and cracked open her eyes to the daylight that seemed to have spilled into her room over the past hour or so. She closed them again, then sat up with a yelp. She had not gotten used to the early morning wake up calls over the past two weeks, and wasn't exactly sure she ever would. At least the staircases at Hogwarts wouldn't let them pass, she thought with a sigh.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Wanna go swimming?"

"Get out," Mia groaned, her face reddening. "It's cozy in my cocoon."

"Alright there, butterfly. You're incredibly cute when you're embarrassed, love. I like your jersey," Sirius chuckled as he laid down on the other side of her bed as the door flew open to Mia's room, admitting the other two of the trio she had been spending the last couple of weeks with. "I have to admit that the Cannons aren't exactly my favorite team, but their colors look good on you." Mia pulled the covers up over her head, laying back down as Sirius moved to pull them off of her. Sirius then moved to curl into them himself.

"So cozy," he sighed as Mia sat up again and pulled her legs into her chest, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and then smoothing her hair.

"Pete and Frank will be here at noon, but I want to go swimming after breakfast," James informed the pair, climbing under the covers of Mia's bed next to Sirius. Sirius made a show of throwing his arms around his friend and cuddling up to him as Mia huffed in annoyance. Remus stood at the door, having had enough decency to cover his eyes with his hand.

"Honestly, you couldn't wait for me to wake up first," groaned Mia. "It's seven in the morning. Why do you want to go swimming now, of all times?"

"We have an indoor pool," shrugged James. "We're still going to the river later, but I don't want to wait."

"Remus, it's fine. I'm covered, at least," laughed Mia, noticing the boy's bright red face and failure to remove his hand from his eyes. Remus peeked through his fingers, breathed a sigh of relief, and sat on the bed by Mia's feet.

"I kept them out as long as I could," he said apologetically.

Mia shrugged, then stood up and headed to her closet, closing the door behind her and locking it. She pulled on a tank top and pulled Fred's old Cannons jersey back on over it. She pulled on a pair of black workout shorts, and exited the closet while pulling her hair into a messy bun, making her way towards the door.

"Race you downstairs," she yelled over her shoulder. She giggled, hearing the boys scramble out of bed and race towards her. She paused looking down both ends of the hallway, then shrieked as her feet left the ground.

"Siri put me down!"

"You don't know where you're going. It's only polite that I escort you."

"I know where I'm going. I want toast. You can still escort me while I'm on my FEET," she shrieked again as Sirius tripped, and James caught her in his own arms.

"Good Morning, love. So nice to run into you here," James winked as Mia giggled. Then the boy dashed down the stairs, carefully placing Mia into her seat at the breakfast table much to the amusement of his parents.

"I have legs, you know," Mia huffed playfully, starting on her beloved butter coated toast as Remus handed her a cup of perfectly made Earl Grey. Mrs. Potter raised her brow as Sirius grumpily took his seat next to Mia. The other eyebrow went up as James began quartering Mia's apple.

"If it's okay, I want to go for a run before Frank and Peter arrive. It's been ages since I've been able to stretch my legs."

Sirius opened his mouth, but James slapped his hand over it.

"Too early for you to bark up that tree," James mumbled.

"You're the one nipping at the leaves, antlers," Sirius snapped back under his breath.

Pretending that she hadn't heard the comments, and ignoring the glare from Remus across the table, Mia rose from the table and summoned her running shoes from her room.

"I'll be back in time for the boys to get here," she smiled, heading for the sliding glass door overlooking the outdoor pool behind the dining table.

As soon as she was out of sight from the boys, she summoned the new Cleansweep that she had ordered last week and grinned. It had been so long since she'd flown, and she wanted to keep her promise to Ginny, no matter what time she was in. She just didn't want the boys to know her secret yet. She had it on good authority that James could be just as obsessive about his favorite sport as his son was.

Shaking her head and telling herself to save those thoughts for later, she climbed on her broom and started some drills.


	9. Chapter 9

Mia relished in the feel of the wind through her hair as she leaned forward on her Cleansweep. She gripped the handle tighter as she corkscrewed through the air towards the ground, pulling up on the handle just before she hit the ground. She whooped mentally in her head before pulling up towards the clouds. There really was nothing like a morning flight to really wake a girl up, and she had no idea why she had waited so long to get on the back of a broom to begin with.

The brunette's thoughts quickly turned to her friends back home, in the future, and a sad smile formed on her lips. As disappointing as it was to not actually try out for Gryffindor in her time, she was determined to keep her promise. She would be on the red and gold team if it killed her. She laughed out loud as she pictured Ginny's smile at that thought. Though it was hard to practice chasing with nobody else to practice with. Maybe James could help her. Deciding that she had probably return to the house to greet Peter and Frank when they arrived, she returned to the soil below.

"Mia, where are you," she heard Remus yell. She quickly whipped out her wand, shrunk her broom, and stowed it into her pocket as she started towards the path that would lead her back to the house. She decided to ask James to help her next time she was ready to practice in the air. It was possible that he might be able to keep her playing a secret long enough if it would benefit his team, if he thought she was any good to begin with.

"Mia," James shouted. She approached the group and noticed that they were facing the opposite direction. Stepping off the path slightly, she creeped up on the group of boys that had grown in size by two. _That must be Frank and Peter_ , she thought. Holding her breath, she stepped up behind Sirius, smiling at the slight turn of Remus' head as he tried not to give away her position.

"Book _worm_ _!_ " Sirius' shout turned into a screech as she pounced on him, tackling him to the ground as the rest of the group laughed. "You really keep me grounded, kitten," the Black heir laughed as he rolled over and pinned her to the ground before pushing himself up.

"Oh come on, kitten? I'm at least a tiger."

"Where have you been," James laughed. "It's half past noon. We're ready to go."

"We've even brought everything," smiled Peter as he turned around and pointed to the backpack on his back. "Charms are great," he laughed.

"Hi, you must be Peter and Frank," she smiled, reaching out to shake both of the boys' hands. She almost hesitated at shaking Peter's hand, but decided that since he hadn't betrayed her boys yet, he wasn't at fault. She would be weary of him though, because she didn't know what side he was on at this point. Turning to Frank, she was met with a carbon copy of Neville Longbottom. With a pang in her chest that she tried not to let show on her face, she shook his hand and quickly turned back to James.

"I got lost in a book near the edge of the path. I'm ready if you are, lead the way," she grinned, taking Sirius' offered hand, then started to pick the leaves and grass out of her hair with the aid of Remus.

The group started back towards the mansion, entertaining Mia with stories of their mishaps and adventures from their previous years of Hogwarts, then turned to the left down another path. A few minutes later, they reached a private beach on the edge of the estate.

"I thought you said we were going to the river?"

"It's a longer walk to the river, and not all of us can apparate just yet so it would be a bit of an annoyance. Besides, Sirius and Frank like the beach better and there's more room for people here," James explained as Mia took notice of a small group of people down the shoreline under a white canopy with a couple of tents beyond that. It seemed like he had wanted to say more when a redhead took off from the group up the beach and tackled him to the ground with a shriek.

"We thought it would be fun to camp out tonight, and introduce you to some of our friends from school," Remus finished for him. The boys laughed as the couple wrestled around on the sand for a few minutes until James surrendered, and they stood up to shake off the sand.

"Hi, I'm Lily," the redhead smiled. "You must be Mia. It's so nice to finally meet you."


	10. Chapter 10

"Nice to finally meet you, Lily. I've heard so much about you," Mia smiled, reaching out to shake the redhead's outstretched hand as James' face reddened considerably and he ran his hands through his hair, attempting to shake out some of the sand that had gotten caught in it.

"You'll have to tell me what he's said this time. It's always a fabulous exaggeration," Lily laughed, turning to smirk at the boy before spinning on her heel, leading the group towards the tents.

"The others are excited to meet you as well. The Potter's end of summer parties are the best part of the holiday. We've been having them since our second year, and they've only gotten bigger and bigger each time. This year most of our grade year is attending, well, mostly everyone except the Slytherins, so you'll get to know pretty much everyone before the school year even starts. Speaking of school, do you know which house you'll be in? Of course, I hope you'll be in Gryffindor, but Ravenclaw might suit you well also, at least from what I've heard from Sirius and Remus..."

Lily rambled on as they trekked through the sand towards the makeshift campsite. As they approached the others up the beach, Mia counted six tents in addition to the covered canopy, and watched as people mulled about, setting up beach chairs and towels. The redhead chattered on about Hogwarts and those in attendance for the weekend after the two groups had joined together, until Sirius interrupted.

"Lily-flower, I believe introductions need to be made. If you'd kindly shut your lovely mouth for just a moment," he paused as his best friend smacked the back of his head "everyone, meet Mia Shafiq. She's transferring in to Hogwarts this year." Greetings came from every direction around her, and she responded with a grin and a shy wave.

"You'll be sharing a tent with the Gryffindor girls. We have a feeling you'd be a perfect addition to the lionesses' den," Remus smiled, holding out a bag that must contained the camping items she'd prepared the night before.

"Thank you, Remus," Mia smiled, "I thought I might have had to summon this."

"No problem at all, I packed the bag earlier. There's no way I'd ever trust Sirius and James to," Remus laughed. With a knowing smile, Mia turned to follow Lily and another girl named Alice down to the tent at the other edge of the campsite. Entering the magically enlarged tent, quite like the one that the Weasleys had used at the World Cup. Smiling at the fond memory of the Cup, she set her things down at the foot of the only untaken bed in the room closest to the door. Unlike the Weasley's tent, there was no kitchen so that the teens could prepare food under the canopy at the center of the campsite.

Mia placed her things in the first room, noticing the other girls' things already scattered about the other three rooms. She pulled out her black two-piece swimsuit and her Cannons jersey as a cover up, then pulled the curtains so she could change.

"Mia, we're going to help a few of the girls make dinner. Come down to the canopy once you're settled in and grab something to eat," Lily shouted.

"Of course, I'll meet you down there," Mia replied. She pulled her Cannons jersey over her head to cover up her swimsuit, and made herself busy unpacking what she had brought into the dresser to the right of her bed.

Satisfied, she made her way out of the tent and crashed into someone who had decided to walk by at the exact moment. Mia looked up into the grey eyes that had become so familiar since her fall into the 70's.

"We have got to stop meeting like this, kitten. I can't have you falling head over heels for me every time we lock eyes. It could get dangerous," Sirius smirked.

"I can't help it if you can't stay grounded whenever you're near me in the first place," Mia giggled, rolling over so that she could crawl out of the sand. The pair made their way towards the canopy as the group underneath broke out in laughter as they watched Lily struggle to remove the seed from an avocado while trying to convince James and the other purebloods that the fruit was indeed an edible item.

"Are you sure that this is a fruit? It doesn't look like a strawberry," James questioned.

"Yes, James. It is a fruit. Not all fruits look like strawberries."

"An apple is a fruit," Peter piped in.

"A banana is a fruit," Remus volunteered.

"A tomato is a fruit," a blonde next to Lily chimes in.

"No it's not, Marlene," Sirius scoffs.

"Yes, it is," Mia, Lily, and Alice laugh. Mia picks up a spoon and reaches her hand out to Lily, who hands over the avocado with a sigh. The brunette smoothly scoops out the seed and reaches for a knife to cut up the remaining part into slices, then places the slices onto a nearby plate. Soon, the teens are digging in to a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grilled chicken.

"This chicken is so good, Frank," James moans.

"Sounds like you're more into the chicken than me," Lily deadpans as James' head snaps towards her, a look of outrage upon his face. The group bursts out into laughter. Mia smiles softly, looking around at the group of people around her and wondering what other memories the weekend will bring.


	11. Chapter 11

Mia finishes pulling on the one-piece swimsuit she had pulled from her bag with a sigh, then shrugs and waves her wand to make it a two-piece. She didn't care how fashionable the deep red and white spotted swimsuit might have been in its day, she couldn't stand the way the fabric clung to her skin or the color. She pulled up her hair into a loose bun and looked around for a cover up.

She quickly gave up searching for the old WAR shirt she had stolen from Remus and grabbed the closest piece of clothing she saw, double checking to make sure it belonged to her. Mary had a habit of throwing her clothes everywhere. She shrugged, and pulled on the pair of loose red shorts over her now deep blue bottoms. At least this combination matched better. Mia muttered a nearly silent prayer that she hadn't jeopardized her cover by a fashion choice, she stepped out of the tent and headed towards her tent-mates that had laid out on the beach. Smiling as she noticed Lily and Marlene's two piece suits, she breathed a sigh of relief and greeted the girls.

"Have a nice nap, Mia?" Lily inquired, looking up from her magazine.

"Definitely," she laughed. "Anyone up for a swim?"

"I'm in," Marlene shouts, jumping up and pulling her hair free from its tie. Ripping off the shorts she had covering her bottoms, she stands up with a flip of her hair and a wink in Mary's direction. The other girl flushes red and flips over on her stomach, muttering something about evening her tan lines.

Marlene laughs, grabs Mia's hand, and takes off, heading for the water. The blonde darted past the boys standing on the shoreline and into the spray of the water, dragging the brunette behind her. The pair dived headfirst as soon as the water touched their waist. Lily took off after them, taking notice that Remus and Sirius didn't seem to be paying attention to their conversation with James and Frank any more. Swimming up to her friends, she called back to Mary on the shore.

"She won't swim where she can't see the bottom," Marlene laughed, as the group watched the girl act like she didn't hear her friends calling her. Lily shrugged as Marlene launched into an explanation of who would be on her date list when they returned to school.

"Remus is looking fine these days, but that boy never goes anywhere without a book! He might be better suited for you," Marlene glances towards Mia, "I'll work on that."

"Woah, Remus and I are just friends."

"Oh, are you into girls? I don't know about where you're from, but we're all okay with it here. I'd definitely love to take you out sometime."

"I'm going to steal Lily's magazine," Mia laughed, making her way towards the shoreline with Lily by her side.

"I'm just kidding," Marlene shouted after her. "I'm more into Hufflepuffs anyways, and you're probably a Gryffindor all the way. You're way too headstrong."

"I'll put in a good word to Mary if you'll drop it," Mia giggled as Marlene caught up to them.

"So Lily, how are you and James?"

"What about Jacob? What do you think about him," Lily deflected. Marlene then launched into a complete description of the boy's perfectly toned body and wavy hair as Mia nodded along.

The girls reached the beach, breaking into a run as they notice Remus and Sirius grabbing the towels and clothes they had left behind. They chased after the boys until Lily tripped, falling face-first into the sand to the sound of roaring laughter from their peers. Lily sat up, red-faced and spitting sand.

"You're in for it now," James laughs. "I'm not helping you."

Lily stands up and calmly walks towards Remus, who quickly spelled the sand off of her with a muttered apology. He hands her the towel he grabbed, spelling that clean as well.

"Where's my wand?" she asks.

"I'm not stupid," Remus scoffs as the group bursts into laughter yet again. Lily joins in, turning to Sirius who hands her the wand with his eyes on his feet. Lily begins to walk towards the tent, and the boys breathe a sigh of relief. Lily turns suddenly, and the boys feel a breeze where their swimsuits used to be. The group dissolves into laughter yet again.

"I'm proud of this body Lil. I'd offer you a ride but James might murder me in my sleep," the boys strut over to the tents and sit down like nothing is wrong. Sirius grabs an apple from the center and takes a bite, lifting his eyebrow, daring Lily to make another move.

"Boys," she groans, heading back to her spot on the beach, followed by a giggling Mia and Marlene.


	12. Chapter 12

"I wish you'd let me do something with your hair," Marlene whined, pulling a shirt over her head.

"What's wrong with my hair?" Mary shrieked, running towards the full-length mirror in Lily's room.

"She just wants to run her hands through it," Lily deadpans as Mary whips around and chucks her hairbrush at the redhead. "Mia, I love that outfit," the redhead laughs as she dodges out of the way just in time.

"Thanks, but I'm still not wearing those," she gestures towards the pumps Lily picked out for her. "Heels and the beach? That won't end well."

"Especially not once we get some firewhiskey in you," Marlene laughs. "You're bad enough barefoot! Oh wait, that was you," she casually points at Lily.

"No more running through sand for me, no matter what wonders it supposedly does for your thighs," Lily laughs, looking over the sundress and pumps she had pulled on, before leaning down and ripping off the shoes and tossing them over her shoulder. "Let's all go barefoot."

"Agreed." The girls laughed and made their way towards the entrance of the tent.

As the sun began to set over the horizon, the girls make their way out of the tent and over to where the Marauders were trying, but not quite succeeding, in starting up a campfire. Mia smiled at the look of absolute concentration on the boys' faces as Peter tried to teach them how to start a fire in what he proclaimed, "the proper muggle way".

"You have to rub them like this," Peter explains to a confused James and Sirius. Peter demonstrated rubbing two sticks together as quickly as possible, trying to get the palm frond stuck in the middle of the fire pit to ignite by moving whatever part of the stick that was smoking closer.

"Why can't we use magic again?" asks Remus, throwing his two sticks into the center and moving to take a seat next to Mary on one of the benches around the fire pit that the Ravenclaws had built out of sand in a sandcastle competition with the Hufflepuffs earlier in the evening.

"Much less macho," James replies, trying to mimic how Peter demonstrated rubbing the sticks together.

"Well, I'm secure enough in my manhood to let this one go," Sirius barked, tossing his sticks in after Remus. Let me know when you need an incendio. In the meantime, Lily, since James is going to be a while with his swordfight over there and all... You look cold, want to use me as a blanket?" Sirius wiggles his eyebrows. Mia snickers as she notices the slight twitch of Lily's wand arm, and the sticks suddenly ignite, causing Peter to fall back into the sand with a yelp.

"You almost took off my eyebrows, mate!"

"I _told_ you it would work," James yells towards the other two marauders, jumping up and dancing around the flames in victory. It seemed that Mia wasn't the only one who noticed Lily's reaction, as the Black heir winked at Lily knowingly before turning his attention back to his best friend.

"Never doubted you for a second, my darling," the boy drawled, dramatically running up to his friend and throwing his arms around him. "I don't know what I'd do without the light of my life!"

"Oh Pads, you are the reason men fall in love," James laughs, falling backwards into the sand, taking Sirius down with him. "You've got the total package! The wit, the charm, the ability to beg for all of the treats your heart desires…"

"Yeah, he's not so bad on the eyes, but I'm more interested in curves," shrugs Peter. "Specifically, blondes with curves." The boy stands up and walks over to where some of the Hufflepuffs are continuing construction of a massive sandcastle resembling the very place they call home for most of the year, complete with a figure of the headmaster and deputy headmistress outside of the front entrance.

"You know, we shouldn't worry about him so much. He's doing just fine," Sirius laughs, standing up and disentangling himself from his best friend, then shoving him towards Lily.

"Creative lot, those 'Puffs," remarked Mary. "We tend to underestimate them, but they're great at finding the beauty in life where you least expect it."

The group settled down to sit around the fire, staring at the flames and the stars, and just generally taking the night in.

"Oh, do we have stuff for s'mores?" Mia asks.

"Mia, you're brilliant!" Lily turned and dashed towards the tent behind them, quickly returning with a bag of marshmallows, some chocolate bars, and a box of graham crackers.

"A snore? Like when Sirius is sleeping? I think we need some firewhiskey before I have to deal with that" James laughed, waving his wand to summon the bottle from his tent, along with a stack of glasses.

"No, a s'more. It's like a cookie sandwich filled with marshmallows and chocolate," Lily explained. As the redhead set out to teach the purebloods how to make the ultimate sugar rush, Mia started roasting her marshmallows.

She never cared so much for the actual treat, but she loved watching the colors turn on the marshmallow as it cooked. Looking through the flames, she noticed Sirius staring intensely at the base of the fire pit. After rotating her marshmallows a few times, she walked around the fire to sit next to him on the log bench the boys had set up earlier.

"You look like you need something sweet," she smirked, taking the melted marshmallow off of the stick, and sandwiching it between two graham crackers and held it up to his lips. He reached out to take it from her, but she pulled the treat back. He dropped his hand, and leaned forward to take a bite. The gooey treat stuck to his lips, and started to fall apart after the first bite.

"Care to help me clean up, love," Sirius laughed as Mia turned to find a napkin. When she turned back around, Sirius had the other marshmallow in his hand, held up to her lips. She smiled and took a bite, giggling as bits of sugar clung to her lips. Then their eyes met, and Sirius began to lean in again.


End file.
